Single Parents - Is it enough? essay continues from a grade 13 student - Me (at the time of course)

A child hounded by a well meaning parent for whatever reason may compound it by a diverse reaction. An ally is required for the child but does not have to be a parent. It can be another adult, a child or even his dog, “I looked out the kitchen window and watched the two of them fetch and throw…..I was grateful to this black dog that made John so happy, that simply delighted in him, that never asked him about homework or wondered what in the world was going to become of him. I was grateful to Jesse for being to John what his mother could not”2 (Carol Lynn, Pearson. The Ups and Downs of a Single-Parent Family. New York: Random House Inc, 1988. Page 10. Further refs will be indicated by author and page number. John’s dreaminess had started long before Gerald [her husband] had left, long before John was three, in fact (Pearson, 11). Pearson has the intellect to separate the cause and effects from being a single parent to other possibilities. This open-mindedness reduces the stress that she would have if she blamed her predicament at being sole parent. Beal (from previous blog) reflects that, “Intact families have an average income that is twice as high as single-parent families (p257).” This is probably true in a sense but what does it reveal? Pearson reflects on such an occasion. The outcome was rewarding. A neighbourhood boy had stolen the Christmas bulbs which had encircled the house, “It made me angry too. The lights had been a luxury. Every other house in the neighbourhood had long strings of coloured lights that blinked their good cheer from mid December on. (p 73)” This particular resourceful family retrieved their bulbs from the found culprit and bought him a gift to “…return good for evil…”p 75. Years later the culprit gave them a gift in return. Poverty can also make one appreciate what is really important - love. to be continued next week.